Chapter 196: THE FALLEN OF THE LOZENS (2)
Elise reached Aubrey’s bedroom to warn her that there were intruders in the house. But when she arrived, Aubrey and the baby were nowhere to be seen.
It was a peaceful night until she was woken up by one of the guards, who told her that a few people had managed to get inside the house.
They had no idea how the intruders managed to enter the house. They didn’t even break anything to get in, as if they had a key and knew the passcode for this place.
"Look for her!" Elise said to the two men who followed her here. They had urged her to leave the house while they tried to delay the intruders.
"We will look for her, but it will be better if you go first," one of the men suggested. The house was big enough to give them some time, but eventually they would find them here.
Elise was about to say something when she noticed a few of Bryer’s clothes were missing. She narrowed her eyes and then went to the cabinet.
"There is no need to get her." Elise’s tone was cold. Seeing the situation here, she could already guess who those people who had entered the residence were.
There was no sign of struggle, indicating that Aubrey had left willingly. The fact that those people were able to enter quite easily cemented her conclusion.
"Pardon me?" They looked confused.
"She already left." Elise turned around and then headed towards the door. "Let’s go."
She and the other two men left. They were running towards the basement, where a car and a driver had been waiting for Elise.
"We will clear the path for you. You can leave now, madam."
However, when Elise was about to enter the car, a bullet grazed her cheek and embedded in the driver’s head as he stood next to her to open the door.
"Get down! Get down! Take cover!" Ray, the younger of the two guards, immediately looked for shelter behind the car, while Ron, his brother, pulled Elise down with him. Their guns were up, ready to shoot.
"How can they get here so fast?!" Ron grunted. He shot, but the bullet missed its target by an inch. "Fuck!"
It shouldn’t have been possible for the intruders to find them this quickly. This basement was specially built for this purpose. Not just anyone could find it.
"Go with her; I will hold them!" Ron commanded his brother and tried to get to the car, but their enemies shot the tires.
"This will not do!"
The sound of gunshots was getting louder as the night had fallen into chaos. Their people must have managed to get here as well, and the fight continued for a few moments.
It was so loud, and at this point, no one cared about being secretive anymore as they charged forward.
"There is another car over there; get to that car and drive here!" Ron pointed at the pillar. Behind it, there was a white car that River used to drive.
"Got it!"
"I will cover you." Ron shot a few times to cover for his brother until he reached the car and found the key. Not long after, the engine revved, and he drove towards Elise.
Right at that moment, the sound of gunfire ceased, and they heard a few people talking at the same time before someone emerged from behind the door.
"Don’t shoot!" Deryl said loudly. His voice echoed in this basement. "Elise, are you there!?"
Elise recognized his voice and then took a peek from behind the car. She saw Deryl walk towards her with both arms raised, but the gun was still in his hand.
"Oh, great. The McKennas are here," Ron sighed in relief as he lowered his guard and then stood up to show himself. "Mr. McKenna."
"Ron, is Elise with you?" Deryl asked, and he lowered his arms. "Are you alone? Who is in the car?"
"Yes, she is here." Ron waved his hand and gestured for his brother to stop. Ray stopped next to Elise. "Ray, my brother. He will get her out of here."
"Is it only the two of you?"
Elise stood up and showed herself. Not so far from her, Deryl was with three of his men, all of them with their guns up.
"There is no need; my men have handled them all." Deryl waved his hand and looked at Elise. "Elise, come here, I will take you to a safe place."
However, Elise didn’t go to Deryl right away. Her expression was very cold, especially when she asked, "How did you get here?"
Deryl was rather confused by the question. "By car."
"How can you get here with so many men on your own?" The three men behind Deryl were McKenna’s.
She could understand if he came alone or with one or two people, but three? And then what did he say earlier? His people had handled the situation.
Why did he come with so many men? He acted as if he had already known there would be an attack here. But it was impossible to act that quickly. The attack happened in less than an hour.
"What is it? Are you being suspicious of me?" Deryl frowned; he walked closer towards Elise. "You are being paranoid, Elise."
"Stop." Elise narrowed her eyes; she reached for Ron’s gun. He was standing right next to her, but her movement was concealed by the car, which they had used as a cover earlier.
"Don’t be ridiculous, Elise; come here. We don’t know if they will come with a backup."
"Answer my question, Deryl. How do you know the Lozens are under attack? Who had contacted you?"
Even if they managed to get to him, there was no way he would be here this fast, as if he had already waited for this moment with his men.
And then it happened. It was only a matter of a split second when Deryl raised his gun to aim at Ron, but Elise was faster; she shot him first, and the bullet pierced through his right shoulder.
Deryl grunted in surprise; the three men who came with him immediately rushed forward to cover for him, but Elise and Ron had entered the car.
"Drive! Drive!" Ron shouted at his brother, who immediately floored the accelerator. The car ran over one of Deryl’s men who tried to stop them. Thankfully, the car was bulletproof, so the bullet didn’t manage to get to them.
"Close the gates!" Deryl shouted the order. "Shut down the power in the basement!"
All of them moved quickly. They were racing against time. If the car managed to get out, they would be doomed. Elise would guarantee Arthur knew about the McKennas’ betrayal.
Not only the Barlowes, but now it was also the McKennas. The betrayal would cut Arthur deeply.
"Take the second exit," Elise said calmly. She was still holding a gun in her hand.
Despite her partying habits and her indifference towards the situation with the Lozens, she was not as clueless as everyone assumed. There was a reason she remained Arthur’s wife for years.
She demonstrated her capability to handle difficult situations, especially when under pressure.
"We will not make it," Ray said. The gates were closing.
There were only two exits in this basement, and Deryl’s men had blocked the closest one, while this one was going to close down as they shut down the power. It became so dark that it was hard to see.
"Step in," Elise said. She gritted her teeth. Her grip on the gun tightened.
Ray followed the instructions he was given, but because of the darkness, he and Elise didn’t see a car approaching from their left side. Before they could reach the gates, the two vehicles collided.
The sound of metal screeching against concrete filled the air as the vehicles swerved, crashed into the wall and pillars, and then flipped over.
Elise screamed, and for a moment, it felt as though she was not there. Everything around her moved in slow motion, and the only thought racing through her mind was that she was about to die. She was certain she wouldn’t survive the crash.
The car they were in flipped twice before coming to a stop, landing on its left side. One of the doors was bent and damaged due to the impact.
Ron died on the spot because he was on the side where the other car hit them.
Ray was still breathing, heaving painfully; there was a gurgling sound coming from his throat as he was choking in his own blood.
Elise tried to move her body once the car had stopped, but every movement was painful. She was in pain. The only thing she could do was lie inside the car, staring through the window at the ceiling above her, as she listened to someone approaching them.
A gunshot and a gurgling sound from Ray stopped.
Someone had killed him to end his misery, and when that man moved to her spot, she got to see him. Under the dimly lit basement, his gun glinted when he lit up his cigarette.
"I am sorry it has to be like this," Deryl said. "It’s not good to be too clever for a woman." He took his time to enjoy his cigarette as the faint, white smoke wafted in the air. "I could have saved you, but you were trying to be a smartass with me."
Elise took a breath, but it was very painful; she must have broken a few of her ribs.
"You are not going to get away with this, Deryl."
And a gunshot rang through the air.